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I will pretty much bake anything the Barefoot Contessa tells me to bake. So when she claimed to have one of the world's best chocolate brownie recipes, who was I to argue? I road-tested these beauties on my ever-obliging Book Club who agreed (through mouthfuls of gooey chocolate) that they were, indeed, quite heavenly.

Even better, they take minutes to make (and licking the bowl is an absolute must!)

The tops of the brownies are crispy and flaky - perfect for shoving in your mouth. But should you wish to make them even prettier (and more chocolatey), feel free to add a Chocolate Ganache Frosting. Yum!

Makes: 20 brownies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound (450g) unsalted butter

1 pound (450g) plus 12 ounces (340g) semisweet chocolate chips

6 ounces (170g) unsweetened chocolate

6 extra-large eggs

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules (I used 3 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound (450g) of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces (340g) of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake!

Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares. (We ate them warm with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream!)

Hi Bonita - they are really yummy! I used 1 bar of Lindt chocolate for the unsweetened chocolate and it worked so well. I think the aim is not to use chocolate that is too sweet. Let me know how it goes!